Uruguayan Cunha to referee France v Belgium semifinal

The battle between the two most successful national sides of the new millennium, Tuesday's Euro 2024 semi-final between France and Spain, also showcases two contrasting styles.

Spain have dazzled in Germany, reaching the final four on the back of the attacking brilliance of wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

By contrast France, one of the pre-tournament favourites who boast one-man offensive powerhouse Kylian Mbappe, have ground their way to the semis on the back of solid defence, conceding just one goal in five games.

Spain's 11 goals scored is equal most in the tournament alongside hosts Germany, the team they beat in extra-time in the quarter final. La Roja have won five from five.

Excluding wins on penalties, no team in Euros history has ever won more than five games in the same tournament.

While veteran striker Alvaro Morata captains Spain, headlining the team's attacking prowess are young wingers Williams, 21, and Yamal, 16, providing speed and creativity from both flanks.

Williams has scored a goal and laid on an assist. Yamal is yet to find the net -- if he does score at this tournament he will break the record for youngest goalscorer at the Euros by almost two years -- but has provided three assists, the most at the tournament.

The team's progress has been underpinned by the relentless positivity of manager Luis de la Fuente, who has lavished praise on his side at every opportunity.

"This is a winning horse," the coach said after Spain beat hosts Germany, "and a role model for our country."

De la Fuente, who has coached several of the players at junior levels for Spain, said "we can go far. There is a lot of heart and soul in this team."

Spain will need that heart and soul considering three players who started the quarterfinal will be absent. Defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin le Normand are suspended while Pedri is out for the tournament with a knee injury.

'Solid' France

Having topped the goal tally with 16 at the Qatar World Cup, France qualified for the final four at Euro 2024 on the basis of strong defence while their attack has deserted them in Germany.

France have made it to the semis scoring just three goals -- none by a French player from open play.

Only seven sides at Euro 2024 have scored less than France.

Their run to includes two scoreless draws and two 1-0 victories thanks to own goals from an opposition player.

Deschamps' side have however conceded just one goal -- a penalty to Poland's Robert Lewandowski -- and kept four clean sheets.

Superstar Mbappe, who scored eight of France's Qatar World Cup goals, has scored just once in Germany -- from a penalty.

Despite the apparent lean run, Mbappe -- who missed France's 0-0 draw with the Netherlands with a broken nose -- has been crucial, with his probing run against Austria creating the only goal of the match.

"Obviously, it would be easier to win games if we were more effective on the attacking front, but in a major tournament like the Euro or the World Cup, you can't expect to go far if you're not solid.

While they may not have set Euro 2024 alight, the French boast incredible recent experience at major tournaments.

In the decade since the 2014 World Cup, France have failed to make the final of a major tournament only once, when they lost to Switzerland on penalties in the last 16 of Euro 2020.

The French were runners up at Euro 2016 and made the World Cup final in 2018 and 2022, winning the former.

After the quarter-final win over Portugal on penalties, Deschamps said France should not "take for granted" they are again among the last ones standing.

"Being there in almost every major tournament something we need to take the time to savour."

Belgium should not blame Romelu Lukaku for their World Cup exit despite the striker's misses in the goalless draw against Croatia which sealed their fate on Thursday, said Timothy Castagne.

Lukaku, Belgium's record goalscorer, had only played a handful of minutes in the tournament due to injury before coming on at half-time at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

The striker, on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea, missed three gilt-edged chances late on when a goal would have sent his side into the last 16.

"I wouldn't say he's the anti-hero because he's there for the chances, he also creates them, he gives, he keeps the ball," defender Castagne told reporters.

"Maybe if he's not there, we don't have those chances. I don't think we can blame him, he gave everything, he tried. If it doesn't go in, it doesn't go in."

Belgium finished third in Group F on four points after also beating Canada 1-0 and losing 2-0 to Morocco.

Michy Batshuayi scored their only goal of the tournament against the Canadians but was not called upon on Thursday.

"Of course I'm disappointed, we're eliminated, we're out of the competition," he said.

"I'm a striker and I would have liked to do my job and score, help the team.

"It's disappointing to go out like that... Belgium had to play better. I'm not going to say that we don't deserve to be out, but we should have played better. Everything is disappointing."

Kevin de Bruyne scored twice as Belgium opened their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Israel behind closed doors in Debrecen in Hungary.

The victory left Belgium tied atop Group 2 in the top-tier League A with Italy who beat France by the same score.

The match, a Belgian home fixture, was moved after the city of Brussels deemed it "impossible to organise this very high-risk match" in the city due to tensions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.

De Bruyne gave Belgium a 21st minute lead. Jeremy Doku broke down the left and pulled the ball back to his unmarked Manchester City club-mate.

Israel levelled after 36 minutes when Timothy Castagne deflected a header powerfully off his own crossbar and into the net.

Youri Tielemans ran on to a flick from Lois Openda to put Belgium ahead again in the 48th minute.

Openda, starting after Romelu Lukaku asked to be left out of the Belgium squad, then drew a foul from Raz Shlomo to win a penalty that de Bruyne converted in the 56th minute.

Four minutes later, Openda won another penalty, drawing a foul from Sagiv Jehezkel.

Captain De Bruyne, who had never scored a hat-trick for Belgium, passed the ball to Openda but Yoav Gerafi saved the spot kick with his legs.

The international career of France's top scorer Olivier Giroud ended quietly on Tuesday, after a late cameo appearance in their 2-1 semi-final loss to Spain at the European Championship.

Giroud played 137 times for Les Bleus and scored 57 goals, more than any other player for France.

Hopes of a final swansong in Germany, however, were dampened by being relegated to the bench, with 56 minutes of game time in four substitute appearances and two attempts on goal.

Giroud, 37, announced his retirement from international football before the tournament, as he secured a move to Los Angeles FC after finishing at AC Milan last season.

"He had a lot of good moments, but also some more difficult ones," coach Didier Deschamps.

"He is an example of longevity, seriousness and professionalism. Even though he had less playing time at this Euro, he was fully with the squad. He is one of the leaders. I want to say well done and thank you."

Giroud won his first cap in 2011 against the United States, when Laurent Blanc was coach, and was a member of France's World Cup-winning team in 2018. He also played in the final in Qatar in 2022 and was also on the losing side in the Euro 2016 final.

Ironically, World Cup success in 2018 came as Giroud led France's attack but failed to score at the tournament in Russia. In Qatar four years later, he netted four as the French reached the final and lost it to Argentina on penalties.

When he announced his international retirement, Giroud said he still had two good years in his legs, but that he was starting to feel his age.

"I thought about it carefully. Playing every three days is more and more difficult, especially at this level."

In stark contrast to many developed nations where people in power often relinquish their positions in face of charges of corruption or incompetence even before allegations are proved in a show of true accountability -- there is a disturbing tendency to brush aside all sorts of allegations, even after proven, under the rug by the people in power in countries like Bangladesh, which ranks among the lowest in various corruption indexes.

We often see heads of organisations in our country – political, financial or social -- washing their hands off of people who have been proven to have caused major digressions with statements like: "the organisation will not take responsibility for the activities of a few individuals."

Something similar is happening in the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), which has been in the limelight for serious financial mismanagement for over a year now.

Following up on FIFA's decision to ban the former BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag on April 14, 2023, the world football's governing body, on Thursday, imposed new sanctions on Shohag while also suspending two other BFF officials, both of whom had left the federation in the wake of the initial investigation.

However, the most damaging part of the FIFA decisions was the implication on BFF's senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy, who has been fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (more than Tk 12 lakh) for breaching article 14 (general duties) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

A three-time Member of Parliament (MP) and former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Murshedy has been holding the second senior-most position in BFF's executive body over the last 16 years and has been heading its finance committee for the last 12 years.

When a person of that stature is slapped with a monetary fine by the sport's world governing body, and the decision is made public through channels all across the globe, it is a matter of great shame, not only for the country's football but also for the country itself.

Murshedy has since sent a press release to the media claiming that two of the three charges FIFA investigated him for were dismissed while the other one, for which he has been fined, was proven only because he was a signatory to all finance-related documents for being the chief of finance committee. The former footballer, elsewhere, claimed to a media that he has been a victim of signature forgery.

"Until and unless I've seen the paper of approval from FIFA or AFC attached for a specific fund, I do not sign the document. If they [involved BFF officials] use my scanned signature, how would I know it?" asked the footballer-turned-administrator.

Whether his claims are valid or not cannot probably be proven in court. What is proven, though, is the fact that he has been found liable in the malpractices that had taken place in his office, bearing his signature. Should he get away with sweeping the dirt under the rug?